Copyholder



S. D. MATHEWS July 3, 1951 COPY HOLDER Filed Aug. 13, 1948 SAM D. MATHEWS INVENTOR. y 3, 3. M

v firro/avzy Patented July 3, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COPYHOLDER Sam D. Mathews, Houston, Tex.

Application August 13, 1948, Serial N 0. 44,117

This invention relates to a copyholder which is adjustable to accommodate copy sheets of various widths, and which is also adjustable to hold copy at various heights to suit the individual preference of typists; the features of this invention constituting improvements over Patent No. 2,293,742, issued August 25, 1942, to S. D. Mathews et al.

It is an object of this invention to provide a copyholder of this class in which both the holder rod and the friction sleeve may be adjusted to accommodate copy sheets of various widths, ranging from narrow note-size sheets to wide ledger sheets.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a copyholder of this class With adjustments so that both the holder rod and friction sleeve may be vertically positioned to accommodate the vision requirements of the individual typist.

It is a. further object of this invention to pro-- vide a copyholder of this class which the typewriter carriage may operate at the end of a, typed line to automatically position the next line of copy for copying.

Itis still a further object of this invention to provide a copyholder of this class which the typewriter carriage may operate at the end of a typed line to space the copy a desired multiple of spaces without consideration of the spacing of the typewriter.

It is another object of this invention to provide a copyholder of this class which has yieldable holding elements to accommodate copy of various thicknesses.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a copyholder of this class equipped with means for holding sheets which have been copied and which are to be copied.

Other and further objects will be obvious when the specification is considered in connection with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the copyholder;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the copyholder;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken along line 3-3.

of Fig. l to show holder rod details;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1 to show friction sleeve details.

In this copyholder I an upright or steady plate '2 extends vertically upward from a base 3. Z-shaped strips 4 extend vertically along each edge of the upright to form grooves or slideways to receive the re-curved flanges 5 of a copyholder plate 6. A bracket 1 is provided at the top of the upright 52 to support a pulley 8. A line .9 is fixed at In to the bottom of the copyholder plate 1 Claim. (01. 120-29) '6, and extends upward through the pulley B and then down again around a, pulley i i mounted on the base 3, and from thence into a control mechanism I2.

The control mechanism i2 is of the construction described and disclosed in Figs. 1-8, inclusive, and more particularly in Figs. 4-8, inclusive, of Patent No. 2,293,742 to S. D. Mathews et al. This control mechanism has a structure therein for maintaining the line 9 in constant tension and for taking up on the line a set amount to move the copyholder plate 6 upwardly whenever the lever arm I l is actuated by a typewriter carriage to move the arm to the right, as shown in Fig. l of this application.

Spacing control structure is also provided within the control mechanism, and is operable by moving the control arm 29 inwardly or outwardly to predetermine the amount of spaces of type which will be spaced upwardly on the copyholder plate 5 upon each actuation of the lever arm 14 by the typewriter carriage.

As shown in Patent No. 2,293,742 to S. D. Mathews et al., the lever arm I6 is fixed by means of set screw is on a sleeve l5 slidable upon a shaft, not shown, which extends from within the control mechanism. By means of set screw il' this sleeve may be positioned at various distances along this shaft to locate the lever arm Id at appropriate distances from the copyholder base 3, to be actuated by the carriages of variously dimensioned typewriters.

Also, as fully described in Patent 2,293,742 to S. D. Mathews et al., the button is may be pressed inwardly so that the knob iii may be turned manually to move the copyholder plate 6 and the copy thereon upwardly or downwardly when it may be desired to position the copy extraneously of lever arm actuation.

The copy sheets are held at the top of the copyholder plate 6 by means of the friction sleeve 2!, which comprises :a tubular member 22 having slidable therein from either end thereof cylindrical members 23 provided with slots 24. These cylindrical members 23 are inserted into the tubular member 22 through end caps 25 threadable thereon, which caps have set screws 26 pass ing through the side walls to slide in the slots 24 and to be tightened to locate the cylindrical members 23 at desired positions. Contact elements 52, such as hard rubber tubes, are located at spaced intervals along the tubular member 22, to bear against the copyholder plate 6 or to force copy against the copyholder plate, as will be hereinafter described.

wall 3| of the copyholder plate 6 so that the top section 29 of the copyholder plate may be moved upwardly and downwardly in this slot 30 and fixed in various positions therealong by tightening the wing nut 55 on the screw 32.

A holder rod frame 33 is mounted on a bent rod 34 which passes through bearings 35 rigidly mounted on the base 3. This frame 33 is constantly urged toward the copyholder plate 6 by means of tension springs 36 fixed at one end to the base 3 at locations between bearings 35 and upright 2 and fixed at the other ends thereof to the bent rod 34. The holder rod 37 comprises a hollow elliptical member 38 which extends transversely of the copyholder plate 6 and which has rigidly fixed near either end thereof vertically extending members 39 having slots 40 therein so that the holder rod 37 may be vertically positioned along the frame 33 by means of set screws 4|. Telescoping members 42 are fitted into either end of the hollow elliptical transverse member 38, and these members have lugs 3 at the inner ends thereof to slide in the slot 44 which extends the length of the member 38. Stop bars 45 are provided across the slot 44 near either end thereof so that the contact of the lugs 43 with these bars will limit the outward motion of the telescoping elements 42.

In operation a sheet of copy is placed against the copyholder plate 6 and held in position thereon by means of the yieldable tension of the friction sleeve 2| and of the holder rod 3?. The sheet is further held by being inserted under the clips 46 at either end of the friction sleeve assembly 2 I.

When the typist has to copy sheets of above average width, such as sheets from ledgers, it is only necessry to pull outwardly the tubular members 22 of the friction sleeve assembly 2| and set these for the desired width of sheet by turning. r

the set screws 26 into binding contact in the slots 24; and for the lower part of the sheet the holder rod 31 may be lengthened by pulling outwardly the telescoping members 42.

As typists are of varying heights and have varying preferences as to the angle at which they may desire to look at the particular line of the sheet which they may be copying, such preferences may be provided for by vertically positioning the holder rod 37 and the top 29 of the copyholder plate 6, as has been hereinbefore described.

This invention also makes provision for holding copy sheets of ordinary width, either before they are to be copied or after they have been copied. This is accomplished by installing holding lugs 48 on the top surface 49 f the top section 29 of the copyholder plate, and then by mounting on this top surface the hold-down roller 50, which is held thereagainst by means of the spring rod 5!.

It is herein pointed out that this invention is not limited to the particular control mechanism l2 disclosed in the drawings, but any control mechanism may be used which will accomplish the same functions as are accomplished by the control mechanism shown.

Broadly this invention considers a copyholder of this class equipped with a friction sleeve and a holder rod or equivalent elements, both of which are adjustable both horizontally and vertically to accommodate sheets of Various widths and. to locate the copy at various vertical distances to suit the preferences of individual typists. And it is herein pointed out that this invention is not limited to the friction sleeve and holder rod construction hereinabove described, but any structures are considered which will accomplish the functions of adjustability within the broad conception of this disclosure.

What is claimed is;

In a typewriter copyholder for use with and operable by a typewriter carriage to expose lines of the copywork held thereby, the combination of a base, a copyholder plate upstanding therefrom, a support frame on said base for said plate, a vertically adjustable transverse sleeve on said plate to hold the copywork, a pivoted spring pressed mounting on said plate for said sleeve to press the work being copied on said plate, a telescopic adjustment for the length of said sleeve, a transverse rod to indicate the line of the copy desired, a telescopic adjustment for the length of said rod, a holder for said rod on said base, a telescopic adjustment means for said rod vertically of said holder, means including a flexible connection means from said plate to said base, a pulley adjacent the top of said support frame so that movement of said flexible connection moves said plate, means operable by the typewriter to move said connection and thus said plate, and manual means also on said base to move said flexible means to adjust the position of said plate and copywork relative to said rod.

SAM D. MATHEWS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,278,345 7 Hiatt Sept. 10, 1918 1,752,399 Stevenson Apr. 1, 1930 1,948,024 Cochrane Feb. 20, 1934 2,095,904 Baughan Oct. 12, 1937 2,293,742 Mathews et a1. Aug. 25, 1942 2,330,776 Elliot Sept. 28, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 86,390 Switzerland Sept. 1, 1920 

